Top 9 bandwidth monitoring tools for enterprise networks

【51CTO.com Quick Translation】Bandwidth usage is one of the indicators that determine how well a network is running. Bandwidth refers to the maximum amount of data transfer that a network can handle at any given time. Measuring bandwidth usage means that you are checking how much bandwidth is being used. Ideally, your business wants to use as much bandwidth as possible without exceeding the maximum value. But how do you track bandwidth usage? This is where bandwidth monitoring tools come in handy.

[[271052]]

A bandwidth monitoring tool continuously observes bandwidth usage on a network. It can detect high bandwidth usage and alert users when network resources are being exhausted. It is important for enterprise networks to keep a close eye on bandwidth usage to ensure efficient network operations; for this reason, bandwidth monitoring tools are a great addition to the IT team's toolbox. Which bandwidth monitoring tools are right for your company? Here is a list of the top nine bandwidth monitoring tools and solutions for enterprise networks.

1. BitMeter OS

[[271053]]

Codebox Software's BitMeter OS is an open source bandwidth monitor for Windows, macOS, and Linux. These tools watch and track your current bandwidth usage, updating every second once launched to give you constant updates. Both download and upload speeds are displayed, and you can set customizable alerts to warn you when bandwidth usage reaches a certain level. This tool can be run in a web browser or from the command line, depending on your preference.

Link: https://codebox.net/pages/bitmeteros

2. BWMonitor

[[271054]]

BWMonitor is a computer-based bandwidth monitoring tool that measures bandwidth usage on each device on which it is installed. Rather than checking the entire network, BWMonitor checks bandwidth usage on each computer on which it is installed, taking an approach that is appropriate to the specific installation. It displays real-time download and upload speeds, logs network data information, and generates bandwidth reports. The tool takes up less than 1 MB of storage space, making it easy to install on multiple systems.

Link: http://www.bwmonitor.com/

3. ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer

[[271055]]

ManageEngine Netflow Analyzer is a network traffic analysis and bandwidth monitoring tool. The program implements network flow analysis to examine bandwidth usage, network data, and traffic patterns. It aggregates information about which users and devices are using the available bandwidth on the network, and what they are using it for. The solution also has network forensics and security features, application monitoring, data capacity planning, and billing capabilities.

Link: https://www.manageengine.com/products/netflow/

4. Nagios Core

[[271056]]

Nagios Core is a free network monitoring tool designed to serve as a foundation for other monitoring and alerting software provided by Nagios. It is primarily a performance checking tool that can schedule and execute network performance checks across the entire infrastructure. As an event handling tool for performance checks used by other Nagios software, Nagios Core can also extend functionality with the help of independent add-ons through Nagios Exchange.

Link: https://www.nagios.org/projects/nagios-core/

5. ntopng

[[271057]]

ntopng is an open source network traffic analysis tool with bandwidth monitoring capabilities. The tool is a network traffic detector that can classify network traffic by different criteria, including IP addresses and throughput. By analyzing network traffic, your organization can easily determine different network statistics that affect your network. While the basic version of ntopng is open source, there are also professional and enterprise versions.

Link: https://www.ntop.org/products/traffic-analysis/ntop/

6. Paessler PRTG

[[271058]]

Paessler PRTG is a network monitoring tool that offers bandwidth monitoring capabilities. PRTG's monitoring capabilities include tracking bandwidth, network traffic, applications, and packets. The software can be used as an all-in-one monitoring suite that can monitor cloud environments, virtual machines, and hardware in addition to the network. As for bandwidth monitoring, PRTG measures bandwidth availability, protocol-based bandwidth usage, and bandwidth hogs.

Link: https://www.paessler.com/bandwidth_monitoring

7. SoftPerfect Networx

[[271059]]

SoftPerfect Networx is a bandwidth monitoring and data usage reporting tool for Windows, macOS, and Linux. The tool measures the speed of your internet connection and collects and logs data on bandwidth usage. You can monitor all networks, or select specific networks to check. Networx displays bandwidth data in a line graph and exports a log of all bandwidth data to one of several file formats. This allows you to view historical bandwidth usage on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.

Link: https://www.softperfect.com/products/networx/networx-prev.png

8. SolarWinds Real-Time Bandwidth Monitor

[[271060]]

SolarWinds Real-Time Bandwidth Monitor is a free bandwidth monitoring tool. The tool tracks bandwidth usage in real time and displays a graph of network bandwidth based on bandwidth polling. The tool alerts you when bandwidth usage reaches a critical state, letting your business know immediately when network bandwidth is insufficient. You can define your own critical bandwidth usage, so that the tool will know exactly when devices on the network are using too much bandwidth.

Link: https://www.softperfect.com/products/networx/networx-prev.png

9. Untangle Bandwidth Control

[[271061]]

Untangle Bandwidth Control is a bandwidth monitoring and quality of service (QoS) management tool. Bandwidth Control is designed for network teams to track bandwidth hogs on the network, including applications, devices, and users. The tool examines bandwidth used and identifies problematic bandwidth usage based on a set of customizable rules. IT teams can define specific rules to determine what actions Bandwidth Control takes when specific traffic passes through.

Link: https://www.untangle.com/shop/Bandwidth-Control/

The Top 9 Bandwidth Monitoring Tools for Enterprise Networks by Daniel Hein

[Translated by 51CTO. Please indicate the original translator and source as 51CTO.com when reprinting on partner sites]